Samsung recalled 2.5 million smartphones in September due to a battery problem similar to one that has plagued the green energy industry for decades.

The problem with Samsung’s phones is that it attempted to pack “ever more battery power into ever thinner phones.” A similar problem is regularly cited by scientists as one of the biggest obstacles facing green energy.

Wind and solar power only provide electricity during certain times of the day and can’t easily adjust outputs. They provide power unpredictably relative to conventional power sources. On an especially cloudy or windless day, the electrical grid can’t supply enough power from solar or wind alone; on especially productive days they can overload and fry the power grid — just like a Samsung phone. This is why electrical utilities using green energy will occasionally pay consumers to take electricity.

Researchers have repeatedly found that as the amount of green energy entering national power grids increases, the negative impacts of wind and solar’s volatility will also increase, unless better batteries are developed. Additionally, scientists suspect that it may be physically impossible to build those better batteries.

This is true for home power storage as well, even with the latest batteries, which were invented to make rooftop solar panels and wind turbines economically viable for consumers. A Tesla Powerwall capable of powering a home costs $7,340 to buy.

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